Work

Biofertilizers in sustainable agriculture and seed science: Mechanisms, advances and future prospects for enhancing soil fertility, seed quality and crop productivity

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Global agricultural production faces an unprecedented dual challenge: sustaining food security for an escalating human population while mitigating severe soil degradation resulting from decades of intensive synthetic agrochemical usage. Biofertilizers, defined as formulations containing living or latent beneficial soil microorganisms, have emerged as an essential ecological technology in sustainable agronomy and seed science. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the multi-faceted mechanisms, technological advances and future trajectories of microbial bioinoculants in enhancing soil biological fertility, seed quality dynamics and overall crop productivity. We examine the functional diversity of major biofertilizers, including symbiotic and non-symbiotic nitrogen fixers (Rhizobium, Azotobacter, and Azospirillum), phosphate and potassium solubilizing bacteria and fungi (Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Aspergillus, and Glomus spp.), zinc-solubilizing bioinoculants and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Crucial cellular mechanisms are detailed: biological nitrogen fixation via nitrogenase regulation (nif gene clusters), organic acid secretion and enzymatic phosphatase activity for mineral solubilization, phytohormonal modulation (auxins, cytokinins, and ACC-deaminase activity), induced systemic resistance (ISR) and abiotic stress mitigation via exopolysaccharide biofilm formation. Furthermore, this review highlights the transformative role of biofertilizers in seed science, focusing on seed biopriming mechanics, germination kinetics, seedling vigor enhancement, seed coat bioprotection against pathogens and grain biofortification. Recent technological innovations, including nano-biofertilizers, synthetic microbial consortia (SynComs), CRISPR-Cas strain engineering, microencapsulation matrices and liquid shelf-stable formulations, are evaluated alongside field implementation bottlenecks such as carrier shelf-life decay, environmental stress sensitivities and regulatory hurdles. Finally, strategic directions for integrating precision bio-fertilization into climate-resilient farming systems are outlined. Biofertilizers represent a vital ecological pillar for restoring degraded agroecosystems, minimizing chemical fertilizer dependencies by 25% to 50% and securing long-term global food production.

Source: International Journal of Research in Agronomy

DOI: 10.33545/2618060x.2026.v9.i8n.6382